Labor group hopeful of PRRD promise to end ‘endo’

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MANILA — A labor group remains optimistic that President Rodrigo R. Duterte would do the best thing once he reads the proposed Executive Order (EO) drafted by labor organizations addressing short-term contractualization, Endo, and the “555” work scheme prevalent in the country.

Michael Mendoza, president of the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (ALU-TUCP-Nagkaisa) believes that the President would fulfill his promise to end contractualization.

“We believe the President will never renege on his promise to end contractualization,” Michael Mendoza, president of ALU-TUCP-Nagkaisa, said in a statement Thursday.

“It is a marked promise critical to ensuring inclusive growth under his administration. Sadly, the President obviously has been misled or misinformed about the demands of workers,” he added.

The proposed EO from the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, which is chaired by ALU-TUCP, recognizes that there will be exemptions to allow some form of contractualization.

However, it restores the norm of direct hiring rather than the current practice of hiring workers who do work directly related to the mission of the principal corporation through manpower agencies or labor-only contractors.

This circumvents the prohibition on the “cabo” system.

The draft EO also said that through the DOLE Secretary, the authority upon consultation with the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council, to exempt jobs, activities and functions from the prohibition on contractualization.

“We too, Mr. President recognize the need to balance the interest of labor and capital. The epidemic scale of contractuals laboring in precarious jobs without security of tenure calls for balance Mr. President. We urge you to do the right thing,” Mendoza said.

“We renew our call to the President to fulfill his promise to the workers to end the hopelessness and insecurity of millions,” he added.